Retro Reminiscing Video and Pictures - Do You Remember - Page 17 of 58 - online community focused on sharing and reminiscing about video, audio, and images that stir our memories of the past - old television, theme songs, commercials, print advertisements, the sights and sounds you remember

Did You See the U.S.A. in Your Chevrolet?

“See the U.S.A. in Your Chevrolet” was one of those ads that did more than sell a car. It sold the idea of getting out on the road.

The song became closely tied to Dinah Shore, who sang it on her Chevrolet-sponsored television shows in the 1950s. By the time she smiled into the camera and sang about seeing America from a Chevy, the line was already becoming part of American TV memory.

It worked because it was simple. A friendly singer, a catchy tune, a shiny Chevrolet, and the idea that the whole country was waiting for you. You did not need a complicated sales pitch. The song did the work.

The ad also fit the time. After World War II, more families had cars, highways were expanding, and road trips became part of American life. Chevrolet was not just saying “buy our car.” It was saying, “This is how you see America.”

For many viewers, the jingle stuck for decades. Even if you did not own a Chevrolet, you probably knew the tune. That is the sign of a great commercial: people remembered the song long after they forgot the model year.

Bugles

Bugles were introduced by General Mills in 1964, first showing up in a handful of test markets before going national in 1966. The crunchy little horn-shaped corn snacks were part of a new wave of fun-shaped snack foods, but Bugles were the one that really lasted.

Of course, for a lot of us, the real fun was putting them on the tips of your fingers before eating them. Some snacks were made to taste good. Bugles were made to play with first.

When Captain America First Hit Saturday Morning TV

Before the big movies, before the slick animation, and long before the Marvel universe took over theaters, Captain America had his own cartoon segments in 1966 as part of The Marvel Super Heroes.

The animation was pretty limited, often looking like comic book panels brought to life with a little movement and narration, but that was part of its charm. Kids still got Steve Rogers, Bucky, the Red Skull, the shield, and that patriotic theme song that could stick in your head all day.

It may look simple now, but for many fans, this was the first time Captain America really “moved” off the comic book page and onto television.

Before Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce, there was Luke and Laura.

Luke and Laura’s wedding on General Hospital was not just a soap opera wedding. It was a television event. In 1981, about 30 million people watched a fictional couple get married in the middle of the afternoon, and for that moment, daytime TV felt bigger than prime time.

Today, Taylor and Travis are having the modern version of that same pop culture moment. Instead of everyone gathering around the TV at the same time, people are following it through news alerts, fan videos, social media posts, street closures, and crowds outside Madison Square Garden.

Luke and Laura were the wedding America watched.

Taylor and Travis are the wedding America is following.

Different era. Different screen. Same kind of fascination.

Before Bond, Roger Moore Was The Saint

I was about 10 years old when this intro ran, and it was my favorite. The moment that halo appeared and the theme music kicked in, it had me. It was simple, but it worked. The little stick figure with the halo was genius, and the music was cool, haunting, and instantly recognizable. In a way, The Saint taught a whole lesson in how much you could do with very little. A line drawing, a halo, and the right piece of music could stay in your head for decades.

The show itself had already been successful overseas before American network viewers got it. Roger Moore played Simon Templar from 1962 to 1969, long before he became James Bond. The character was not exactly a detective, not exactly a spy, and not exactly a crook. He was more of a charming modern-day Robin Hood type who often worked outside the rules to help people who could not get justice the usual way.

In the United States, The Saint first found an audience through syndication before NBC picked up the color episodes for network television. NBC did not air every episode, but the American exposure helped make Roger Moore a familiar face here. The show had style, mystery, travel, danger, and a lead character who always seemed one step ahead of everyone else.

The intro may be what many people remember first. That halo over Simon Templar’s head, the stick-figure Saint logo, and Edwin Astley’s theme created one of those openings that did not need a lot of explanation. It was classy, clever, and just a little mysterious.

Looking back, The Saint feels like one of those shows that bridged the gap between old-fashioned adventure stories and the cool spy craze of the 1960s. It had the suits, the cars, the international flavor, the beautiful locations, and that smooth Roger Moore confidence. And for a kid watching at home, sometimes all it took was that halo and that music to know something cool was about to happen.

Before We Called Them STDs, TV Warned Us About VD

Before most people used the term STDs, television PSAs warned viewers about VD, short for venereal disease. And one of the most unforgettable ones was the 1970s spot remembered as “VD is for Everybody.”

The message was serious: venereal disease could affect anyone, and people should not be embarrassed to get information or see a doctor. But what made the PSA so memorable was how oddly cheerful it was, with upbeat music and everyday people smiling along to a topic that was not exactly dinner-table conversation.

A lot of kids probably remembered the song before they had any idea what VD even meant. Looking back, it is one of those very 1970s public service announcements that was awkward, catchy, and impossible to forget.

Before Ice Bird and Snoopy, There Was the Sno-Man

Last week we talked about Ice Bird, one of those early make-your-own frozen treat toys that came before the famous Snoopy Sno-Cone Machine. But another one kids remember from the 1960s was Hasbro’s Frosty Sno-Man Sno-Cone Machine.

Released in 1967, the Sno-Man let kids shave ice and pour on flavored syrup to make their own little summer treat. It was simple, messy, and probably took more work than the commercial made it look, but that was part of the fun.

Before Snoopy’s doghouse became the one everyone remembers, there was a smiling snowman helping kids crank out sno-cones at the kitchen table.

Cocoon: The Movie You May Need a DVD to See

I’m posting the trailer for Cocoon, and it is strange to say this about such a well-known 1980s movie, but today the trailer may be easier to find than the movie itself.

Released in 1985 and directed by Ron Howard, Cocoon was one of those movies that felt different. It was science fiction, but not the laser-blasting kind. It was warm, funny, and surprisingly emotional — a story about growing older, feeling young again, and wondering what you would do if life suddenly offered you more time.

The cast was loaded with familiar faces: Don Ameche, Wilford Brimley, Hume Cronyn, Jessica Tandy, Jack Gilford, Gwen Verdon, Maureen Stapleton, Brian Dennehy, and Steve Guttenberg. The story followed a group of seniors who discover that swimming in a certain pool gives them new energy, thanks to alien cocoons hidden beneath the water.

For a movie about aging, it had a magical feeling. It made older characters the center of the story, not the background, and that helped make it stand out.

What makes it even stranger now is how hard Cocoon has become to watch. It was released on DVD, but it is not currently streaming in the U.S. and is not sitting there waiting on the usual rental or purchase services like so many other ’80s movies. For most people, that old physical DVD is still the only practical way to see it legally.

Why? No one seems to have given a clear official answer. The likely reasons are the usual modern mess: old rights agreements, possible music clearance issues, studio ownership changes, and maybe simple corporate neglect. It was a 20th Century Fox movie, and after the Fox library ended up under Disney, this Oscar-winning hit somehow became one of those films that just fell through the cracks.

That makes Cocoon a perfect reminder of why physical media still matters. If you have the DVD, you can watch it. If you do not, you may be stuck waiting and wondering why a hit movie with this cast has almost disappeared from everyday viewing.

Do you remember watching Cocoon?

As The World Turns

As The World Turns. This post will never go viral, but if someone remembers their mom or grandma watching this, it is well worth the effort for the post!

As the World Turns was a long-running CBS daytime soap opera that aired from 1956 to 2010, centered mainly around the lives, loves, scandals, and struggles of families in the fictional town of Oakdale, Illinois. At its heart was the Hughes family, with stories built around romance, marriage, betrayal, illness, family conflict, and the everyday drama that made soap operas part of the afternoon routine for generations. It was slower and more character-driven than some later soaps, which helped make it feel like viewers were checking in on people they knew every day.

Superman and the Early Tony the Tiger

Long before Tony the Tiger became the big, sporty “They’re Gr-r-reat!” mascot we all remember, he looked a little different — and in this old Kellogg’s Sugar Frosted Flakes ad, he even shared the screen with George Reeves from The Adventures of Superman.

That is what makes the commercial so strange and fun today. You have Clark Kent/Superman helping sell cereal, and beside him is an early Tony who does not quite look like the Tony we grew up with. He is skinnier, odder, and still finding his final look.

Back then, shows and sponsors were tied together much more directly. Kellogg’s sponsored The Adventures of Superman, so seeing George Reeves pitch cereal was just part of the deal. To kids watching, Superman was not just saving the day — he was also telling you what to eat for breakfast.

Do you remember when TV stars would show up right in the commercials?